Asia Music Chart

Nickelodeon’s Ariana Grande is all grown up. Following a well-received debut record, the Florida-born R&B princess is back with a sophomore album My Everything that exemplifies her evolution. Unlike some of her counterparts in the pop world, she is settled and occasionally flirty, but never trashy on the 12-track effort that is littered with classic pop traditions.

The new Mariah Carey: The 40-minute album proves that Ariana is probably one of the few young musicians around that is worthy being Mariah Carey’s successor. Her amazing vocal chops are placed effortlessly on display in moodier numbers ‘Big Mistake’ and ‘Why Try’ – the former features Big Sean’s rap among the heavy beats. ‘Love Me Harder’ is perhaps My Everything’s the most likeable and strongest track. The mid-tempo R&B tune sees Ariana gliding her sultry voice smoothly over the suggestive lyrics.

It is all about the boys: Just like Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey, Ariana’s albums are all about boys and romance. Even on break-up anthems like ‘My Everything’, the 21-year-old never adopts the helpless, damsel-in-distress position, choosing instead to remain strong through lines like “So it's time to push my pride away”. And as much as she is a powerhouse crooner, it is hard to escape the fashionable electro-pop tracks. But the prominent exhibition of her charismatic pipes on ‘Break Free’ and chart-topper ‘Problem’ demonstrates that she does not need to trade her familiar sounds for typical club tunes to gain a hit.